Park Excellence Project

California’s state parks system was proposed to be shut down to the public—first in January 2008, again in May 2009, and most recently in May 2011. These proposals have been eye-opening to all Californians who want to see their state parks accessible and available, now and into the future. Yet often in times of crisis, opportunities and new ideas emerge. In the short-term, California’s state parks need to survive current financial shortfalls and address the burgeoning deferred maintenance backlog. But beyond this, the future system needs to broaden its appeal to meet the needs of a changing population.

Released in 2011, A Vision for Excellence for California’s State Parks is a report of the Park Excellence Project, a joint undertaking of CSPF and Save the Redwoods League. Work began in late 2009 to engage Californian’s in a public dialogue about what excellence in California’s state parks system should look like and to reexamine the ways in which parks are supported, financed, protected, managed, promoted, and maintained. The report provides a statewide vision for the future of California state parks. When fully realized, that vision results in an excellent California state park system that will:

VISION STATEMENT: California’s state parks inspire people with the natural and cultural heritage that defines the state: from wind-swept beaches to ancient forests and high mountain tops, from the pioneering spirit of the Gold Rush to the present-day pioneers, from its original peoples to its newest immigrants.

California’s state parks reflect the character and unique “brand” that is the Golden State. Its 280 park units make up the largest state park system in the United States and contain unparalleled natural features and historic and cultural resources. By telling, retelling, and interpreting key history, geology, and cultural facts, our state parks celebrate California and what it means to be a Californian. Maintaining these features and continuing to celebrate the stories told by our state parks is essential.

Excellence in celebrating our enduring heritage will be met when:

All Californians are aware of their state park system and the amenities and resources the system offers and protects.

All Californians feel ownership in their state parks system.

All visitors experience the wonder and inspiration that parks provide through exposure to, and interpretation of, the extraordinary natural features and authentic cultural places in parks.

New state parks prioritize access in areas currently park deficient and where stories of California’s heritage have not yet been told.

VISION STATEMENT: California’s state parks belong to the people of California and welcome visitors to enjoy the diverse natural places and historic resources that provide inspirational, spiritual, and recreational opportunities.

At the heart of an excellent state park system is the experience of its visitors. Cultivating and maintaining an environment where visitors are welcomed and provided access to services and amenities, which increase their affinity for state parks, is a fundamental facet of an excellent state park system. State parks need to be physically available to all residents, both physically, as well as in ways that bring park information to those who cannot easily go to parks by themselves.

Excellence in welcoming visitors will be met when:

All state parks are open, accessible, and welcoming.

High quality, affordable recreational opportunities, for both day-use and overnight visits, are available throughout the state park system for all.

Every state park has well-maintained amenities, public access points, clean restrooms and facilities, and available staff to assist visitors.

All visitors have access to basic park information and materials to help them plan trips to state parks, in a language they understand.

Every Californian has access to equipment and/or programs to aid them in using and enjoying state parks.

Every Californian in an urban area has access to nearby state parks through public transit.

VISION STATEMENT: California’s state parks provide lifelong opportunities for children and adults to explore, discover, and experience the natural environment, heritage, and rich stories that state parks contain.

Through visits to state parks, all Californians have an opportunity to gain new information, skills, and knowledge that can shape lifelong learning. Preservation of cultural and historic artifacts and narratives are a key part of the story that California’s state parks tell, and ability to interact with and experience those stories in a personal way creates opportunities that extend all Californians’ knowledge.

Excellence in teaching Californians will be met when:

Interpretive materials and displays at state parks are up-to-date, relevant, appealing for a modern audience, and tell diverse California stories.

All historical and cultural artifacts in the state’s collection are safely and properly protected and available for the public to experience through high quality display and exhibition.

All California children have opportunities to visit state parks as part of class-related trips and virtual visits through school-connected technology.

Educational materials and/or curriculum for highlighting or incorporating state parks in core content standards—especially math, science, and history classes—are available to all California educators.

All California youth have opportunities to play, learn, and explore the outdoors in state parks.

VISION STATEMENT: California’s state parks safeguard irreplaceable natural and cultural resources and utilize contemporary science and management practices to ensure their protection and preservation for the future.

“Protecting resources for the future” is not only a value of the state park system, but also its active, ongoing purpose. Currently, a network of key partners are supporting stewardship goals through natural resource planning, managing conservation easements or other buffer lands adjacent to state parks, helping protect cultural resources, and more. Those partnerships can be used even more effectively to take advantage of contemporary resource stewardship data and expertise that exist in organizations and within scientific institutions.

Excellence in safeguarding resources will be met when:

All state parks are secured by permanent legal protection against development threats and non-mission uses.

Regular assessments of natural and cultural resources in all parks are conducted to guide management decisions and resource allocation.

A system-wide master plan that addresses current needs and forecasts future needs in the face of climate, environmental, and population change is developed and regularly updated.

Every state park has a current park-specific plan and budget that includes resource management, interpretation, cultural, historic resource, facilities management, and public access plans.

System-wide resource management is guided by current science-based techniques, best practices, and ongoing research.

Expertise of researchers, scientists, academic leaders, and practitioners in natural, cultural, and historic resource fields is actively sought and incorporated into resource management practices in state parks.

VISION STATEMENT: California’s state parks engage individuals and a broad network of public, private, and non-profit partners in flexible, innovative, and inclusive approaches to protect park resources while delivering a high-quality visitor experience.

In the face of declining public funding, partnerships with public, non-profit, business and community groups are more important than ever. Partners can provide long-term stability, engage the local community, encourage stewardship and land management practices, provide assistance with maintenance and acquisitions, and provide a voice for the parks. California’s state parks can become a “hub” for collaboration among recreational, conservation, or cultural and historic preservation entities and systems. Successful and effective partnerships that fully engage local communities, non-profit supporting organizations, concessionaires, and others are fundamental to the future success of California’s state parks.

Excellence in connecting individuals, organizations, and partners will be met when:

All partners to the state park system have capacity, leadership, and mission-related expertise to add value to resource protection and/or visitor service goals.

All visitor-facing park employees and park partners are trained in visitor service and prioritize visitor experience and hospitality within their career paths.

All state parks welcome volunteers to assist with visitor services, interpretation, education, and resource protection and restoration.

Concession and park business opportunities are aligned with visitor needs and encourage visitor use and resource protection goals.

Local businesses, community groups, key stakeholder groups, leaders, and residents are involved in decisions about enhancing, changing, and improving park facilities and services.

Creative, entrepreneurial, and inclusive approaches to park operations are encouraged through flexibility and incentives for locally based decision making.

Philanthropic organizations and partners collaborate with state parks to identify programs and projects that will enhance park uses and complement core park services.

The impetus for the Park Excellence Project began in mid 2005 when CSPF looked closely at the overall fiscal picture facing California’s state park system. As CSPF worked to identify ways to improve the financial health of the system, it become important to identify a vision that would invite Californians to the work of sustaining and improving state parks. This new vision must reflect Californians’ views about the purpose of our state parks, as well as their desires for specific park experiences, programs, services, and amenities.

The report is the first step in laying the foundation for excellence. The challenges to excellence in our state parks are clear, but so are the ways in which progress can be made in addressing and overcoming those challenges. We hope the report will also serve as an invitation to its readers and as a roadmap to get us started in the challenging, yet vital, pursuit of excellence for California’s state parks.

To share your ideas on how you would like to work on achieving excellence for state parks, contact advocacy@calparks.org.

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